Piketon grits out win over Huntington to snap losing streak

WAVERLY − Piketon's season has been one of progression.

The Redstreaks know that better than anyone. The latter half of their schedule was marred by a seven-game losing streak, and they've spent that time searching for a remedy. But through each loss, the Redstreaks kept working toward a positive result.

That sense of progression, after almost a month of struggle, finally paid off. Led by Brent McGuire's 17 points, Piketon shook its lengthy losing streak and picked up its first win since mid-January. Garrett Legg pitched 15 points, and Declan Davis notched 13 points on three 3-pointers to help Piketon muscle out a physical, tug-of-war win over Huntington 75-67 inside Waverly High School Gym on Tuesday night.

"The kids have not stopped showing up," Piketon coach Kyle Miller said. "It's been a tough stretch for us, but they're still locked in. They still show up with enthusiasm, and they still show up with effort. Every practice has been a good practice, it's just been a tough stretch of games."

Both Piketon and Huntington put on one of the best offensive showcases of their respective seasons. Five players from each team ended the game in double figures. The two squads combined for 48 points in the first quarter alone. A barrage of 14 combined 3-pointers kept the difference meager − Piketon held the largest lead of the night at just 10 points.

Even when Huntington's offense hit a dry spell and didn't score for the first three minutes of the second quarter, it shored up its defensive pressure in response. The Huntsmen held the Redstreaks to a game-low 11 points in the second quarter. After Huntington broke its scoring drought with a free throw, it spent the five minutes before halftime clawing within reach of Piketon's lead.

It wasn't until a 7-0 run during the final minute of the first half − punctuated by a pair of free throws sunk by Ryan Porter − did the Huntsmen assume their first lead of the night. Porter, who tied teammates Wes Brown and Caiden Stewart with 10 points on the night, scored half of his total points in the second quarter.

"I thought we did a good job of competing in the first half, and we gave up two offensive rebounds in the first half," Huntington coach Kyle Bradley said. "Basketball is a game of runs, and Piketon had a couple of really good runs. I thought in the first half we did a good job of answering that and coming back. In the second half, Piketon was a little tougher than us, and at the end of the day tougher teams win."

The Huntsmen did their best to maintain their lead in the second half. Dalton Black proved himself once again as a vital asset in the paint after ending the game with a team-high 14 points. Stewart, Brown and Noah Potter fought through pressure to rack up shots from every spot on the floor. Even after allowing the Redstreaks back into the lead, the Huntsmen trailed by just two points at the end of the third quarter.

But Huntington fell behind. Piketon padded its lead in the fourth quarter with 10 points off free throws, five of which were knocked down by Weston Bloss. Black attempted to rally the Huntsmen after nailing a putback basket to trim the deficit to four points with under two minutes left in the game, but Piketon maintained its distance until the final buzzer rang out.

After a month of struggle, the Redstreaks have another win to their name. They had to scrape past a Huntsmen squad matching it near blow-for-blow, but the Redstreaks will take it. Their season of progression finally paid off.

"It was an all-around effort to pull it out," Miller said. "I told our coaches before we went back in (the locker room) after the game that although we were only down one, it felt good to get a win after coming out of a half not ahead. When it gets tough, we've kind of not responded great. Tonight I thought we responded way better."

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Piketon grits out win over Huntington to snap losing streak